He knows his Mustangs trailed at halftime of this particular home game. Max Christie, a freshman starter still growing into his potential, struggled in the first half.

Katovich has known Christie since he began attending Rolling Meadows' feeder camp in fifth grade. That night, however, helped convince the coach his rising star possessed intangibles beyond his years.

"He stood in front of our team room greeting all of his teammates and encouraging them all on and saying 'Stay confident, stay positive,' " Katovich said. "He was more concerned with keeping his teammates up.

"In the second half he led by example and played the way he's capable of. For a freshman to be able to do that is pretty incredible."

By the end of the spring, Christie's reputation had spread beyond the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The 6-5 shooting guard ranks No. 24 nationally in the 24/7 Sports composite of the 2021 class.

College coaches come to see Christie for his skills. That poise grabs their attention. Many of them — including Purdue's Matt Painter — have followed up with scholarship offers.

Christie returned to West Lafayette on Saturday for the Boilermakers' Elite Camp at the France A. Cordova Recreational Sports Center. He isn't exactly shrugging off the spotlight. Rather, he appreciates the extra attention — and the criticism it invites — as a chance to continue his growth.

Starting on varsity as a freshman brought adversity. Playing up a level on a challenging summer schedule with the Illinois Wolves pushed him to improve. Christie doesn't call those challenges difficult or frustrating.

"It comes with a lot of adversity," Christie said. "How you handle it and what you do with it makes you better. Every mistake is an opportunity to learn and grow."

Katovich said Christie's maturity starts at home with parents Max and Katrina. So does the basketball talent.

Max Sr. played at Parkland College and NAIA Wisconsin Superior in the late 1980s. However, mom still has the most impressive resume.

The former Katrina Hannaford, a 6-2 frontcourt standout, once scored 55 points in a game for Eau Clarie Memorial and led the team to three straight state tournament berths. Then she became a four-year starter and 1,000-point scorer at Northwestern.

What has one of the nation's top shooting guard prospects gleaned from mom's basketball knowledge?

"I've learned a lot, especially the big-man portion of the game — posting up, being strong," Christie said. "She was strong under the basket. I learned the strength aspect, how to use your body."

That body, currently listed around 170 pounds, should continue to grow. It's also a key to his growing prospect status. Coaches see the skills Christie already possesses — confidence and range from the perimeter, assertiveness and finishing ability at the rim — and project what could happen as the rising sophomore's body fills out.

That 24/7 composite lists Christie as the No. 1 recruit in Illinois — a state typically abundant with basketball talent — and the No. 4 shooting guard in the nation.

Perhaps most important, Christie seems to own perspective on what those numbers mean. Following Monday's announcement that he stood at No. 23 in ESPN's 2021 rankings, Christie tweeted: "rankings mean nothing!" Of course, followed by a smile emoji.

"It's been nice to get all this attention, but sometimes success can be your worst failure," Christie said. "Having all that success, you can get complacent and all that stuff. I'm just trying my best not to do any of that.

"It can get hard sometimes as a 15-year-old with all the success— you like it, you want more of it. But you have to keep working. You can't let anyone surpass you."

Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern and Wisconsin have also offered scholarships, and that list should expand beyond the Midwest soon. Max Sr. said his son will likely take visits to Iowa and Wisconsin for football weekends in an otherwise quiet fall season.

The Christies made Saturday's camp experience a family affair. Max Sr. also brought his son Cameron, an eighth-grader. The brothers played together on a team coached by Purdue sophomore center Matt Haarms in the afternoon session.

Younger brother exemplified some of that competitive nature too. Cameron hit the floor hard on multiple occasions while fighting to hold his own against players three years older and physically superior. He bounced back up each time.

"I'll be playing with him the next year or two in high school, so it was good to be around him, support him, encourage him and have fun," Max Christie said.

There's that word again.

Nathan Baird reports on Purdue men's basketball. He can be reached at 765-586-7450 or nbaird@jconine.com. Follow him on Twitter: @nbairdjc